Commissioner's office of Chinese foreign ministry in HK urges Human Rights Watch not to go further down wrong path

HONG KONG - Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Saturday slammed Human Rights Watch for grossly interfering with the HKSAR's judicial independence, urging the foreign non-governmental organization not to go further down the wrong path.

The spokesperson of the commissioner's office has firmly opposed and condemned the unwarranted remarks by Human Rights Watch that the Hong Kong police's legal action against a district councilor suspected of violating the law is "political persecution" and that the case should be immediately dropped, the commissioner's office said in a statement.

Hong Kong is governed by the rule of law, said the spokesperson, where no one is above the law, still less at liberty to knowingly break the law.

By openly condoning doxxing and incitement to violence and hatred under the pretext of human rights, Human Rights Watch has made a travesty of human rights, trampled the rule of law, and grossly interfered with the HKSAR's judicial independence, said the spokesperson.

The spokesperson pointed out that Human Rights Watch has a track record for meddling with Hong Kong affairs and played a disgraceful role in the unrest last year.

"In total disregard of the facts and the law, it whitewashed the extremists' outrageous violence as peaceful and rational demonstrations, and smeared the Hong Kong police's restrained law enforcement efforts as excessive use of force."

"It even sent members to join the street rioters, cheered the latter on and acted as their accomplice by hampering the police's performance of duty," said the spokesperson. "Therefore, it should shoulder a good part of the blame for the rampant violence in Hong Kong."

The spokesperson emphasized that "all Chinese people, including our Hong Kong compatriots, will never allow Human Rights Watch and other anti-China organizations to run amok on China's land, or to sow trouble by exploiting Hong Kong affairs".

"If Human Rights Watch insists on going further down the wrong path, it will find itself on the opposite side of the Chinese people, including our compatriots in Hong Kong," warned the spokesperson.